An exhibit being developed by University of Northern Colorado faculty will take up
permanent residence in the same museum that displays instruments from the likes of
Elvis Presley and John Lennon.

UNC Audiology & Speech-Language Sciences professors Don Finan and Deanna Meinke are
collaborating on the project for the Musical Instrument Museum, which boasts a collection
of 6,500 instruments including those from a host of legendary artists including the
King and the famous Beatle.

The interactive, stand-alone exhibit on the properties of sound will feature an “instrumented”
mannequin, known as “Jolene.”

“A custom designed and built Jolene will be the heart of the exhibit, allowing museum
patrons to measure the sound level at which they typically listen to music,” Finan
said. “The sound level (in decibels) will be displayed on a large computer monitor
along with a dynamic display of associated safe listening time per day based on that
specific sound level.”

Finan said he and Meinke are working with museum personnel in addition to scientists
and engineers from 3M to develop accompanying educational materials and displays based
upon the Dangerous Decibels® program (www.dangerousdecibels.org). “Our goal is to
teach the science of sound and equip the museum patrons with the knowledge to safeguard
their hearing for a lifetime of music enjoyment,” said Meinke. In addition, Finan
and Meinke have developed a new custom 3D-printed ear that will be used with Jolene.

The two will travel to the Phoenix museum Aug. 10 for the installation.

Since 2007, these UNC faculty and their students have been building mannequins equipped
with sound-level meters and realistic silicone ears to measure the sound produced
by personal music players. They have taken the mannequins to classrooms and health
fairs to raise awareness and promote prevention of noise-induced hearing loss. The
mannequins have also been produced for the National Institute for Occupational Safety
and Health (NIOSH), the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), and
the National Health System (NHS) in London, UK.

About MIM

The Musical Instrument Museum (MIM) enriches the world by collecting, preserving,
and making accessible an astonishing variety of musical instruments and performance
videos from every country in the world. MIM offers guests a welcoming and fun experience,
incomparable interactive technology, dynamic programming, and exceptional musical
performances. MIM fosters appreciation of the world’s diverse cultures by showing
how we innovate, adapt, and learn from each other to create music—the language of
the soul. Find MIM at MIM.org